ARM Trip Report

2004 AAPRCO Missoula Trip

Another year and another
adventure on the rails. This year we ventured to the Pacific Northwest and the
big sky country of Montana. This years group consisted of museum members Craig
and Mariann Shields, Al and Diane Ramsey, Fred and Dale Springer, Alf Bond, Sid
Sherry, George and Syd Holt, Mike and Donna Gibbons, Karen Wallin, Steve
Ablonczy and Bart and Jane Barton. Some of them had to travel a bit just to
join us. The Gibbons are from the Chicago area, the Springers from Texas and
Alf and Sid are from Australia. The trip from Tucson was predictably late so we
traveled the route in daylight with the highlights being 116 degrees in Yuma and
the Salton Sea. Although we were late into Los Angeles we made the connection to
the Starlight on Monday for the trip up the coast. This train departed on time
and ran close to on time the whole route. Clear weather gave us excellent views
of the Pacific Ocean and Mount Shasta. As we traveled farther north the
temperatures dropped and the humidity went up. At some points as we were winding
through the mountains in Oregon we were above the clouds. Arrival in Seattle was
early and allowed everyone to do a little train watching before bed. A layover
day in Seattle had everyone out seeing the sights. Some folks did the
underground city tour; others took the island ferry or the space needle and Pike
Street Market. The next morning was also open, as the Empire Builder does not
leave until 4:15 P.M. As expected we departed in the rain. Next stop was Spokane
for another day of sightseeing. Trips to the Inland Empire Museum, Davenport
Hotel, and the Steam Plant were all on the agenda. That night 5 additional
private cars arrived to make up our special train. Departure from Spokane was
4:00 A.M. with arrival in Whitefish Montana at 11:30 A.M. A light rain greeted
us but did not dampen any of the tour plans. Folks headed off for Glacier
National Park, some in rental cars and others on the park Jammer bus. The next
couple days we were on the former rails of the Great Northern, now Montana Rail
Link, with stops in Great Falls, Laurel and Livingston. At Laurel we changed to
former Northern Pacific tracks. While stopped in Livingston we had the chance to
take the tour to Yellowstone National Park. This is a very nice tour. Lots of
wildlife, weird geological events and of course Old Faithful. The geyser is
indeed spectacular. I can recommend the buffet lunch at the Old Faithful Inn.
Departure from Livingston had us joined with the eastern train making the
consist now 25 private cars and 3 Amtrak P-42 locomotives. This was quite
spectacular as we wound along the Missouri River to Missoula. The Jane Mare and
Vista Canyon were towards the rear of the train so we had some really nice views
of the cars ahead.

We spent 3 days in Missoula
doing convention type activities. The standard seminar and meeting program had a
special treat. On Friday we took a special train, the Montana Rockies Daylight
tour train, on the former N.P. Bitterroot line to Hamilton. At this point we
boarded buses to the Daly mansion. Marcus Daly established Hamilton in the late
1880ís when he came to the valley in search of timber for his mines in Butte. He
built the 16,000 square foot mansion for his family summer home. The mansion is
now being restored through grants and volunteers. Wonderful place to visit.

Departure from Missoula had us
as part of the big train as far as Sandpoint Idaho. At Sandpoint the eastern
train split to head for Whitefish and then back to Chicago. Our little 6-car
train headed west to Spokane. We spent Sunday afternoon figuring out where we
would have dinner. This was solved when Fred Springer found Frankís Diner. This
is a real diner, 1920ís vintage railcar converted to a diner with much of the
original interior intact. The bedrooms are gone and replaced by a counter and
booths but the railroad flavor remains. Departure from Spokane was on the rear
of the Portland section of the Empire Builder. This allowed us to travel the
Columbia River gorge in the daylight. This is another of those beautiful parts
of the country best viewed by rail. The tracks run along the River, mile after
mile with spectacular scenery. Arrival in Portland was on time giving us a
4-hour layover before departure of the southbound Coast Starlight. The
southbound trip was on time until the earthquake. We spent 7 hours stopped north
of Salinas, California due to a major, 6.0, quake. We had the railroad radio
frequency tuned in to keep aware of what was happening and making cell phone
calls to check on the news reports. We stayed put until the Union Pacific had
inspected all the track including walking every bridge and tunnel. This put us
into Los Angeles late but once again we made the connection to the Sunset
Limited for the trip home to Tucson.